Tribocorrosion Susceptibility and Osseointegration Studies of Silicon–Carbon–Titanium Oxide Coatings Produced on SS316L by Laser Cladding

• DOI: 10.1007/s40735-020-00436-w
• Publication Date: 2020-10-27T15:03:49Z
• Authors: Angela A. Vieira; Lucas A. Manfroi; Larissa Z. Lobo; Thaisa B. Santos; Silvelene A. Silva; Getúlio de Vascon...; Polyana A. Radi; Newton S. da Silva; Lucia Vieira
• Keywords: Tribocorrosion; Simulated body fluid

Metallic implants are frequently exposed simultaneously to cyclic micromovements and a corrosive medium at the interface between implant and bone, constituting a tribocorrosive environment. Ions from natural body fluids can increase the release of debris in the wear zone. This debris can penetrate soft or hard tissue, leading to implant failure and metallic contamination of the tissues around the prosthesis. Surface modification of implants has been studied to improve the lifespan of metallic implants in the body. In this work, a CO2 laser was used to irradiate silicon carbide with and without anatase titanium oxide (TiO2), in order to produce protective coatings for improving the tribocorrosion and osseointegration performance of stainless steel (SS316L). Tribocorrosion resistance and osseointegration tests were performed using simulated body fluid (SBF), in order to understand the behavior in this environment. Chemical composition and hardness analyses showed that the coatings were effective in improving passivation of the surface, when compared to bare SS316L. Osteoblasts were well dispersed on these surfaces, displaying improved proliferation and viability, compared to the SS316L sample. A statistically significant increase of cell viability was observed when the surface was covered with a low silicon content coating.